Our Spotlight series highlights the careers and lives of tax professionals across the globe. This week’s Spotlight is on Arianna Campbell, a shareholder and consultant at Boomer Consulting Inc., a business management company for CPAs in Kansas City, Mo.
Campbell helps accounting firms better their processes to be more profitable and improve client satisfaction. She also helps develop and cultivate future firm leaders through the Boomer Leadership Academy, contributes to the Boomer Bulletin and other industry publications, and speaks at industry conferences. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has named her one of the 25 most powerful women in accounting.
When she’s not working, you might find Campbell reading an e-book, watching a movie with her three children, or dreaming about a vacation in Maldives.
What’s your official title and what does it mean? My title is shareholder and consultant. Shareholder is self-explanatory—I’m an owner of Boomer Consulting Inc., along with five other shareholders. Our team offers communities, consulting, and training focused on five areas critical to a CPA firm’s success: leadership, talent, growth, technology, and process. As a consultant, I collaborate with large accounting firms to offer insights that help them improve their processes and develop their people.
Free time: book, audiobook, or podcast? Definitely books. I love to read and prefer e-books over paper books, so I always have the book I’m reading available on my phone. I don’t listen to podcasts often, but when I do, I listen to the Boomer Briefing, a weekly podcast that helps firm leaders solve a critical business issue in 20 minutes or less.
Tax is a huge subject. What’s your area of special interest? My area of special interest is helping firms implement process improvements that leverage outsourcing and automation to support the firm of the future. I also help firms address talent issues by focusing on increasing capacity so they can deliver more value. I help firms make these changes in their tax departments, but also in their audit, advisory, administration, and other areas.
What’s the last movie or show that you watched and loved (DVD, Netflix, or in the theater)? I have 12-year-old twin girls and an 8-year-old son, and we’re looking forward to “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” coming out later this year. We just rewatched the first movie—it’s one of our favorites!
What college did you attend and what did you study? I earned a Bachelor of Science in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. (Go Badgers!) I also received a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt from Ohio State University and a Six Sigma Black Belt from the University of Georgia. Six Sigma is a set of tools and techniques that companies can use to improve production, eliminate defects, and guarantee quality.
Go to pick-me-up: Coffee or tea? I love coffee, although I drink decaf, which some people say doesn’t count. However, I thoroughly enjoy my cup of decaf in the morning.
What’s the best tax or financial advice that anyone ever gave you? Just how important it is to start financial literacy education at a young age. My husband and I are working on that with our three children and setting things up to help them succeed, including learning about investment, credit, and taxes.
If you weren’t working in the tax profession, what would your dream job be? I would be a travel blogger who got paid to visit sunny, beautiful places and review their resorts!
If you had the opportunity to make one change in the tax world—an extra credit, a disallowed deduction, whatever—what would it be? I would ensure that every firm leader understands how important employee experience is for delivering a great client experience. If you’re going to be the best at what you do, it starts with your employees.
Favorite food, snack, or candy during tax season or other busy time? Chips and queso. The good news is that we don’t necessarily have a busy season since we help firms year round, so I always have a reason to enjoy chips and queso!
What tax news or move made the most impact on your practice or clients this past year? The news around talent struggles has impacted our clients and the conversations we’re having. The talent shortage isn’t new, but it’s received heightened attention coming out of the pandemic. Our clients are focused on attracting, recruiting, and retaining talent. That requires supporting remote and hybrid work, improving processes and technology, and upskilling and reskilling people.
If you received a big tax refund check right now, what would you do with it? I would travel. I would go to the Maldives and rent a nice bungalow on the beach—preferably one without internet access so I could unplug and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
You can learn more about Campbell on Linkedin.
You can learn more about Campbell’s firm, Boomer Consulting Inc., on its website.
If you’d like to recommend a tax pro to be featured, send your suggestion to rbaker@bloombergindustry.com with the subject: Spotlight. Please include the following information: tax professional’s name, title, email address, and geographic area (city/state/country).
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